Tokyo International News Agency

Around 11:15 AM on the 16th, authorities received a report from a person affiliated with Semi Onsen in Kitakami City, Iwate Prefecture, stating, 'An employee who was cleaning the open-air bath is missing. There are what appear to be bloodstains near the entrance of the open-air bath.' Given the discovery of bloodstains and drag marks near the open-air bath, police and fire departments are conducting a search, strongly suspecting a bear attack. Following this report, search teams are scouring the area, but the employee has not yet been found. Based on the situation at the scene, the possibility of a bear attack has been pointed out, and local residents are being urged to exercise caution. This year, bear sightings have been frequent nationwide, leading to numerous human casualties. Reports indicate that the number of fatalities due to bear attacks has already reached a record high of seven, spreading anxiety across various regions. Experts suggest that poor harvests of acorns an...

Walt vom Nebel Dorf, a 1-year-2-month-old male German Shepherd and direct police dog of the Kagoshima Prefectural Police, recently made a spectacular debut on his first assignment, achieving the remarkable feat of locating a missing man in just four minutes. The incident involved a search for a missing person in Ibusuki City, where human search efforts had been struggling for about five and a half hours. When Walt joined the search, he accurately tracked faint scents lingering in the air, leading him to the man on a cliff in a forested area. His astonishing sense of smell and quick judgment greatly impressed the police officers on site. For this commendable achievement, Walt was awarded a certificate of commendation along with a supplementary prize of 10 kilograms of locally grown Kagoshima sweet potatoes. It was previously reported that another police dog from the Kagoshima Prefectural Police also received sweet potatoes as a reward, suggesting that they have become a healthy and favo...